CIENCIA, CONOCIMIENTO TRADICIONAL Y ETNOBOTÁNICA

Resumen

The chief aim of ethnobotany is to integrate traditional and scientific knowledge about the use of plants by mankind, but this has proved to be difficult to accomplish. This paper discusses the origin, nature and basis of both scientific and traditional knowledge, and points out some difficulties in achieving this integration, with particular emphasis on the use of plants in Mexico. Knowledge regarding the use of plants first began empirically with the appearance of humankind; as a science, it comes from the writings of Theophrastus (4 th century BC), but it is not until the 19 th century that the word ethnobotany is coined. Although the object of this ethnoscience has changed, its essence has been the study of plant/human associations in different times and cultural and natural environments, in order to make durable and proper decisions. In conclusion, we observe that integration between empirical and scientific knowledge is necessary, but philosophical and psychological difficulties still exist.